Web and barrel construction for spring-hinges



E. SOMMER.

WEB AND BARREL CONSTRUCTION FOR .SPRING HINGES.

APPLICATION f lLED MAR.1|,1918.

1,332,456. I Patented Ma1-.2,1920.

l ATTORNEY FFICE.

EMIL BOLVIMEB', OF BROOKLYN, NEW YRK.

WEB ltND BARREL CONSTRUCTION FCR SPRING-HINGES.

Application filed March 11, 1918.

To all whom t may concern:

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1920.

Serial No. 221,620.

and web construction, formed according to Be it known that I, EMIL Bonanni, a one embodiment of the invention;

citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l/Veb and Barrel Construction for Spring- Hinges, of which the following is a specifcation. y

The present invention relates to an improved web. and barrel construction for spring hinges, and particularly such a construction for use in double acting spring hinges. Heretofore much difliculty has been experienced in producing a web construction for this type of hinges from sheet metal, which was of sufficient strength, free from projections such as rivets, ribs or the like, and at the same time a reliable and economical construction. llt is important in such hinges that the web be flat, and at the same time it is desirable that a smooth surface be provided free from seams, projecting rivet heads, or other such evidences of the joining of the metal, producing an unsightly construction.

It is proposed in the present invention to provide a hinge construction in which the web and barrels are formed of sheet metal, and may be joined in such a manner as 1to provide a web having a flat or plane surface entirely free from projections, seams or the like. The hinge so formed will be neither cumbersome nor unattractive, and mechanically a more efiicient structure is provided in which the web takes up a minimum space, permittingproper operation and iitting between the parts, and a very strong and rigid construction.

Another object is to provide a reliable and secure attachment of the layers forming the web, and for this purpose I propose to employ a spot weld, with the result that the process of manufacture is greatly facilitated, and a hinge of great strength and improved appearance is produced.

With these and other objects in view, embodiments of my invention are shown, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, and these embodiments will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a barrel Fig 2 is a perspective view of one end, thereof with parts shown in section and parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view along the line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the end of the web, showing the joint between the layers;

Fig. 6 is a similar view of a slightly modij lied form in which the layers are riveted together; v

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view of a modified form of barrel and web construction, in which the article is 'formed of two pieces of sheet metal, the web having four layers; v

`Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of one end of the web taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 7

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view with 'parts broken away "of a further modified form of the web, in which the spot weld is directed in a different direction to the layers;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation thereof; and

Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view with parts broken away of a still further modified form of the web.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly Figs. 1 to 5 thereof, the embodi ment shown therein comprises two cylindrical barrel portions 10 and 11, and an intermediate web 12 connecting the barrels, the structure being formed by suitable bending processes from a single piece of sheet metal.

The barrels 10 and -11 are formed adjacent an intermediate portion 13, being bent in opposite directions therefrom, and end portions 14 and 15 project in opposite directions from the respective barrels, being superimposed at each side of the said intermediate portion. This isA a well known method of forming the barrel and web, and it will be understood may be modied in any suitable manner, as for instance as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, where the' barrels 16 and 17 are formed of separate pieces of sheet metal, and are each provided with two projecting parallel extension plates18, one of the said extension plates of each barrel fitting between the extension plates of the other barrel.

According to the present invention, the upper and lower edges of the outer portions let and 15 project beyond the upper and lower edges 'of the intermediate portion, and the projecting portions are 0f such length that when bent over as at 19 and 20 upon the ends of the intermediate portion, their edges `meet in a vertical plane. The web thus produced is of uniform thickness throughout, is smooth and rounded at the ends, and is free at its side surfaces from seams, cracks, projections or other objectionable feat-ures. At'the ends the seams or cracks are substantially obliterated by the close fit of the turned' over portions 19 and 20. j

In the case of hinge constructed acvcordingto Figs. 7 and 8, it will be understood the two exterior layers project beyond the two interior layers for a suflicient dis? tance to permit of the ends being turned over as at 21 and 22, each of the vturned over portions being substantially equal to the thickness of one of the intermediate layers,

`while in the above described construction,

the turned over portion is substantially equal to one-half the thickness of the intermediate layer 18. This is clear from Figs. Sand 5 respectively. j

The broad concept consists inproviding an intermediate layer or layers covered at each side 'by outer layers of greater length than the intermediate layer or layers, being bent over the ends of the intermediate layer or layers s0y that the same meet. I may employ any suitable means to connect or bind the layers solidly together, such forv instance asthe rivets 23 shown in Fig.` 6. To ythe end of producing a uniformly smooth surface, however, and to simplify manufacture, I propose to secure the layers by a series of spot welds as at 24, these spot welds being relatively near the ends of the web, and also the layers may have spot welds intermediately the ends as at 25.

A, spot weld, it will be understood, consists in passing an electric current through the various layers of metal to be secured together, so that the heat fusesthe metal at the-spots or points through which the current is passed. While in this heated and fused state pressure is appliedto these parts in any suitable manner, so that the layers are tightly compressed and become permanently and integrally secured at the welding points. Thus: a web is produced which is of a solid and cordinate structure, the attachment points being integral. In the drawingsa space is lshown between thelayers at those portions other thanthe points o-f attachment, for clearness of illustration, but it will be understood that in practice the layers are held tightly against each other.

While the spot weld is directed through one point only of the layers, the surrounding portions ofthe metal are materially aiected, and a rearrangement of the molecules takes place which results in welding of the material over a relativelyl large area as compared to the actual point through which the current is directed. Consequently, if the weld is placed as shown in Figs. 1, 4, 5 and 8, the effective area of' the weld will extend over the joints between the ends of the intermediate layer or layers, andthe turned over portions 19 and 2O of the form shown in Fig. 5, and 21 and 22 ofthe form shown in Fig.` 8, andthe joint between the ends of the turned over portion. I have illustrated this action diagrammatically at Q4 in Fig. 8 by perpendicular lines, the actual point through which the welding current is directed being indicated by horizontal lines.

Figs. 9 and 10 show aMslightly modified form, in which the spot welds at the ends. of the web are directed through the same in a diagonal direction as indicated at 26. In this case it will be seen, the weld passes throughthe intermediate layer and the two outer layers, and also traverses the entire end ,of the intermediate layer and a portion y of the joint ybetween the turned over portions 19 and 20. j

In Fig. 11, I have shown a still further modified form in which the spot weld. 27 is directed in a diagonal direction through the end of the web, `and in this case the same does not traverse the entire end of the intermediate layer, but only a portion thereof, and entirely traverses the joint between the turned over portions 19 and 20.

With my improvements, it will be seen, a web is `produced from relativelyy thin sheet metal, which has the appearance and strength of a web formed of metal of much greater thickness, and` at the same' time a smoothsurface is provided entirely free from projections, and theweb is of uniform thickness throughout. These features lend themselves to. the production of a hinge which operates in avery eiiicient manner, and permits of accurate tting and adjustment of the parts.

I have illustrated: preferred and satisfactory embodiments of my invention, but it is obvious that. changes may be made thereinwithin the spirit and scope thereof, as deiined in the 4appended claims.

I claim 1. In a spring hinge, a web and' barrel structure formed from a single metal plate tively, the outer layers being longer than the intermediate layer and having their eX- tremities bent inwardly over the corresponding ends of the intermediate layer with their opposed edges in abutting contact and located in the central plane of the intermediate web layer.

2. In a spring hinge, a web structure comprising an intermediate layer and outer layers inclosing said intermediate layer and provided at their ends with contacting p01 tions inclosing the ends of the intermediate layer, and said contacting portions of the outer layers being molecularly united to each other at their contacting faces.

3. In a spring hinge, a web structure comprising an intermediate layer and outer layers inclosing said intermediate layer and provided at their ends with contacting por tions inclosing the ends of the intermediate layer, and spot Welds extending through the end portions of said outer layers and traversing the contacting faces thereof.

4. In a spring hinge, a web structure comprising an intermediate layer, and outer layers inclosing said intermediate layer, and provided at their ends with bent over portions disposed in contacting relation with each other, and inclosing the ends of said intermediate layer, and spot welds extending through said layers, and integrally joining said layers, said spot welds being in proximity to the ends of said web and adapted to intimately join the contacting ends of said bent over portions with each other and with the respective ends of the intermediate layer.

5. In a spring hinge, a web structure comprising an intermediate layer, and outer layers inclosing said intermediate layer, and provided at their ends with bent over portions disposed in contacting relation with each other, and inclosing the ends of said intermediate layer, and spot welds extending through said layers, and integrally joining said layers, said spot welds extending diagonally through the ends of said web, and traversing the joints between the ends of said intermediate layer and said bent over portions, and between the contacting ends of said bent over portions.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name.

EMIL BOMMER. 

